I was in the Domain today and saw that a new place, OrangeCup, opened. OrangeCup is an all natural frozen yogurt shop that is new to Austin, the first Austin location being in the Domain. I was expecting the typical frozen yogurt shop but the yogurt actually tasted like yogurt instead of soft serve ice cream. I was surprised at how good the yogurts tasted and then at the nutrition. It was like healthy ice cream.

They have three flavors in general: natural, zum and acaiberry. I had the acaiberry (natural yogurt blended with acai, blackberries and pomegranate) with fresh blueberries as my topping. It had 180 calories for the “light” size bowl with 11% of my daily protein, no fat, and tons of vitamin C and Omega 6 and 9 fatty acids. The yogurts still have their live cultures and are naturally sweet, no high fructose corn syrup. They also pride themselves on being a more green company by recycling, reusing, conserving energy, reducing packaging and being environmentally friendly during building construction.

I was pleasantly surprised by this sweet, healthy find and hope to go back when I have the ice cream craving again. Try it the next time you are at the Domain.

Let me know what you think!

www.myorangecup.com

Have you heard of the ANDI Index or the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index? It is a scale or index which rates foods based on an evaluation of their micronutrients including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacity. The scale ranges from 1 to 1000, 1000 being the highest score possible.

The ANDI Index was created by medical doctor and author Joel Fuhrman, M.D. after his extensive experience and research in helping people lose and maintain their weight. His book “Eat Right America” includes tips on how to lose weight by eating foods that are better for you. Whole Foods Market recently adopted his index to categorize their food offerings. Here are some of the food ratings.

Vegetables:
(1000) Mustard, Collard and Turnip Greens
(1000) Kale
(824) Bok Choy
(739) Spinach
(715) Broccoli Rabe
(672) Brussels Sprouts
(670) Swiss Chard
(444) Bean Sprouts
(337) Turnip
(295) Cauliflower

Fruits:
(212) Strawberries
(178) Blackberries
(130) Blueberries
(109) Orange
(97) Kiwi
(91) Watermelon
(72) Apple
(64) Pineapple
(60) Apricot

Interested in doing a little more for the environment? I was roaming through Dick’s Sporting Goods yesterday and ran across Under Armour’s new line of recycled athletic wear. How do they do it? They take plastic bottles, wash them, shred them, melt them and then make tiny cubes. They then heat the tiny cubes to a point where the cubes can be stretched into long threads. The threads then get woven into fabric. And voila, you have a recycled fabric. I am sure there are some steps they don’t tell us that keeps the product and process proprietary.

I have not tried the product out yet so I can’t comment on how it wears and works, but they claim it wears and wicks like their other lines. I am looking forward to trying this new green line out.

Visit the Under Armour website for more.

New research shows that many “healthy” frozen meals marketed to help you count your calories may not be as helpful as you think. Frozen meals tested in a recent study revealed that they actually have about 8% more calories, on average, than they claim on packaging. In addition, many restaurants who list their calories actually have about 18% more calories in their servings than advertised.

What should you do? Try making your own food whenever possible! If you eat out a lot try choosing meals with the fewest ingredients and with ingredients that you know are healthy.

Read more on Google News here.

2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 lb lean ground turkey
2 tbsp chopped garlic
½ medium onion, diced
1 c red wine
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 ½ tsp dried oregano
3 tsp mild chili powder
2 tsp paprika
1 large zucchini, diced
1 medium jalapeno pepper, diced
1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
1 15 oz. can of kidney beans, drained
1 10 or 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes with liquid

In a large pot or dutch oven heat oil over medium heat. Brown the ground turkey with the oil for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, onion, spices and wine and cook for 3 minutes. Add all other ingredients, stir well, cover and cook on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve over brown rice with a sprinkle of grated cheddar cheese. Serves 4-6.

Today on the Food Network Alton Brown shared on his show “Good Eats” the way he lost 50 pounds by changing what he ate. It is pretty simple, he makes sure he gets certain types of  food in everyday and week and completely eliminates some food from his overall diet including: fast food, soft drinks, processed meals (frozen dinners), canned soup and anything called diet. He also ALWAYS eats breakfast!And yes, he only has one serving of alcohol once a week.

The show will air again on January 14, 2010 at 11PM ET.

Check out a couple of his recipes here.

Thinking about a resolution in the New Year? Below are some suggestions on how you can make a change in the New Year and keep it. It’s all about making a SMART resolution. Make it Specific, Meaningful, Action-Oriented, Realistic and Timely.

“Specific: What do you want? The first step in getting what you want is to first know what it is that you want. Be specific; your goals should be straightforward and emphasize what you want to happen. Avoid general goals, such as “I want to get into shape”. Instead define clearly what you want. For example:

“Instead of feeling tired and sluggish, I want to feel full of energy from the time I wake up; until the time I crawl into bed.”

Meaningful: Why is it important to make this change now? The reason to change (motivator) must be strong enough to carry you through the change process. Keep asking yourself ‘why’ until you find your meaningful answer. For example:

“I want to make changes in my lifestyle so that I have energy at the end of the day for my children.”

Write down your motivator and keep it close by to remind you of the reason behind your goal; this will help when life gets in the way, and/or things get tough.

Action Oriented: What actions are you going to take to make your goal become a reality? Your goal remains a dream until you put a plan of action in place. Write down three things you can do to start you on your journey. For example:

1. Walk around my building for 30 minutes on my lunch hour everyday.
2. Eat a lunch that I have packed that is full of fresh fruits and vegetables.
3. Be in bed NLT 10:30 pm to ensure that I get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep a night.

Reevaluate your action plan every four to six weeks to ensure you are staying on task, making changes as needed. Add new actions when you are ready.

Realistic: Am I willing and able to do the work that it will take to reach my goal? To be realistic the goal must be ‘do-able’ for where you are at the moment. This means that the learning curve is not a vertical slope; that the skills needed to do the work are available. The actions you set toward reaching your goals should challenge you, but not break you.

Even the best of plans will have obstacles. When something does not go according to plan, what will you do instead? Having a plan B in place helps to make your goal more realistic. For example:

“If there is inclement weather I will walk on the treadmill in the gym instead.”

Timely: When will you start? Set a timeframe around the actions. If you don’t set a time, the commitment is too vague. For example:

“I will be in bed NLT 10:30 pm starting this Sunday night.”

How will you know that you have achieved success? What will it look and feel like? Throughout the process of reaching your goals you will be making and breaking habits, changing your lifestyle and becoming the person you have always wanted to be. Take the time to visualize that person and the life he/she is living.

Jump ahead to December 2010. You did it! The work, time and energy that you put towards this dream wasn’t always easy. However, by using the SMART goal model you remained on task, you were reminded why you started the process in the first place, you were challenged in new and exciting ways, and you were sure to have a plan B ready.

One final thought and question…take a good look back over all the things you have accomplished to be here. You set goals and have realized your dream. Now, how will you celebrate this success?”

(Source: SCW Fitness Newsletter www.scwfitness.com)

Listen tomorrow (11/24/09) to Outcast’s segment from 6p-7p on KOOP (Austin 91.7 fm) where Work It trainers Kyle and Eric will be interviewed by host Heath Riddles about staying fit over the holidays. Work It will be a regular feature on the Outcast program and we are excited about it! Stay tuned and tell us what you think!

1. Maybe you are not getting enough exercise.

For weight loss it is recommended that you get around 5 days of cardio exercise for at least 30 minutes. The exercise options are endless, find something you enjoy.

2. Are you getting enough sleep?

Yes, sleep and weight loss go together. Read my past post about this topic.

3. Have a lot of stress?

If you are stressed out your body could be producing higher amounts of cortisol, preventing you from losing those pounds. Try to slow down and relax. Exercise could even been a stress reducer!

4. Stop eating so much.

You could be eating too many calories. Make sure that your net calorie intake (calories in minus calories burned) is negative for weight loss. Don’t eat too little either; you shouldn’t starve your body either.

5. Keep your routine consistent.

Are you a yo-yo dieter? Do you start a fitness routine and stop in a few weeks or are sparatic about it? Stick to a healthy routine, your body wants the consistency.

6. Don’t blow it on the weekends!

You did great through the week, but for the most part are you keeping up Friday through Sunday? It’s ok to have an “off” day but don’t blow it all out. You could easily undo all your week’s work with consistently bad weekends.

7. Give it time.

You must be patient with yourself. Quick weight loss rarely stays. The time it takes to retrain the body is different for everyone. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you are doing everything right. Your time will come!

8. Have you been to the doctor?

It is possible that if you have been doing all the right things that you have a medical condition. Go to your doctor and talk with him or her about your weight struggles.

9. Your body has reached a plateau.

If you have hit a wall change it up. It is important to change up your workout routine every 4 to 6 weeks. Your body likes a certain level of consistency but keep it fresh, your body gets bored too.

10. Maybe you don’t need to lose weight!

Look at your weight compared to your height; you could have a very healthy weight but might be looking to “reposition” that weight. You may not need to lose weight but add a little more muscle to your body to get your physique where you want it.

In addition to the physical benefits, could exercise also make you think better? A recent study out of the University of Illinois seems to indicate so. Dr. Charles Hillman released the results from his study titled “Cognition Following Acute Aerobic Exercise” and found that participants who exercised showed 5-10% improvement in cognitive ability after exercise. Monitoring equipment also indicated faster brain processing speed. While the study results do not imply that exercise can increase a person’s IQ, they do indicate that long-term, regular exercise can have a positive, permanent effect on a person’s ability to reason and possibly prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Only more reason to get out and get active!